Star Trek: Sakura Hoshi
by Vampiricyoshi
Summary: Gen Hagen is a half-Japanese half-Betazoid who had enlisted in Starfleet and assigned to a Starbase under Cardassian occupation. She and her Vulcan friend now work together as they go through the duties of Starfleet officers. sorry - bad summary.
1. Meet the Characters

_Welcome to my _Star Trek _fan-fiction _Sakura Hoshi, _which directly translates from Japanese into "Cherry Blossom Star". Cheesy title, I know XD_

_I play _Star Trek: Borderlands,_ a Play-By-e-Mail (PBeM) Role Playing Game (RPG) and these are going to be the stories of my characters Gen Hagen the half-Japanese half-Betazoid and her Vulcan friend T'Espera. Please review and enjoy! ^^  
_

* * *

_We all know the usual stories; the ones of Captain Kirk, Captain Picard, Captain Cisco, Captain Janeway, Captain Archer, and many more. Well, here's a new story for you all to read and enjoy…_

_**Star Trek: Sakura Hoshi**_

**The Characters**

Gen Hagen

Age: 23

Gender: Female

Race: Betazoid hybrid

Place of birth: Earth

Height & Weight: 5', 150 lbs.

Hair: Blonde

Eyes: Hazel

General Appearance/Distinguishing Characteristics:

She likes to wear her hair pulled back, regardless of the style (bun, ponytail, braid, etc.) She doesn't like it when her hair is in her face while she's working. She doesn't like wearing dresses. Aside from her uniform, when she's in her normal clothing she'll wear only pants - hardly ever dresses or shorts and sandals.

Background:

Father was a Betazoid visitor to Earth. Kiyoshi's mother was a Japanese biologist. Her father and mother met at a biologist's gathering and they were drawn to each other.

She has no other siblings and has the average grades of an aspiring Federation cadet. She went to public school and made very few friends. Her parents were never part of Starfleet but they whole-heartedly supported her decision to enlist.

Personal Profile:

Gen looked like any other kid on the surface when she was younger but she's had a hard time fitting in with the others. Still does. She'll only make friends if someone talks to her first or if she feels that someone is in emotional distress and needs help. She is extremely friendly and open-minded to other's ideas. She's smart and logic is one of her strong suits. She struggles with listening to someone of a higher ranking than her, but usually does not complain unless something really bothers her. She HATES being called an alien because it makes her feel judged. She gets angry easily. She has self-control, but if the problem persists it's sometimes not enough.

Assignment: Medical

Affiliation: Federation

T'Espera

Age: 26

Gender: Female

Race: Vulcan

Place of birth: Vulcan

Height & Weight: 5'7", 186 lbs.

Hair: Dark Brown

Eyes: Chocolate brown

General Appearance/Distinguishing Characteristics:

Short straight hair, though it is longer than that of a typical Vulcan's; reaching about the level of her chin. Has a mole behind her right ear. Racial color is white. Has a scar stretching over the top of her right hand as a result from her training during her time in the Vulcan wilderness.

Background:

Went through the usual Vulcan training in the Teachings of Surak, the father of Vulcan logic. Her parents are local politicians for her home providence on Vulcan; neither had any affiliation with the Federation. Upon T'Espera's decision to enlist in Starfleet they strongly advised against it, wanting to keep her on-planet and learn more about their own occupation. She was never bonded as a child to another Vulcan as her parents reasoned that should one child die it would be illogical for another to die as well.

She left for Earth and entered Starfleet academy, having high grades as Vulcans often did.

She was briefly assigned to the USS Dauntless and shared living quarters with another Ensign by the name of Gen Hagen and was then transferred to the Horizon after the battle with the Cardassians had reclaimed it; ironically she still shared quarters with Hagen, though she had a shift switch from night to day shift. The two get along fairly well.

Personal Profile:

Despite her Vulcan heritage, emotions are a thing that fascinates (no pun intended) T'Espera. Just about everything about humans interests her, relationships being one of them; she's not above trying to take part in seeing two people come together if she sees she can 'assist' without harming things. Unlike other Vulcans, she has no problem with lying to someone when speaking to them. Only when it's necessary, of course. She cares deeply for her friends and really does want to help whenever she gets the chance.

Assignment: Security

Affiliation: Federation


	2. 2410'02'07  Arrival to a New Assignment

(Year)2410.(month)02.(day)07

Location: Carlos Almeida's office  
Characters: Hagen, Almeida

Arrival on the transporter pad, newly assigned to the Federation ship USS Dauntless. The situation was new. It was different than just going to school. Dare-say, it was a thrilling idea. Gen Hagen, however, managed to keep the excitement from her face. She wanted this to be a good first meeting with the Executive Officer that she was told that she was to meet – Carlos Almeida if she could remember the name correctly.

The Betazoid-hybrid stepped off of the transporter platform, immediately greeted by her soon-to-be shipmates. They told her their names, though she knew she would not immediately remember them; that would come in time. All had on an expression of pleasure to meet her. Gen knew they were pleased to have her aboard like they said, but she could see another emotion there; worry, maybe even distress.

Perfectly understandable. They were all heading to Starbase Horizon, which was going through a trial at the time. There was an outbreak a virus amongst most of the crew, a Cardassian attack on the base, and the Commanding Officer and the Executive Officer of the Horizon were taken hostage.

Cardassians were what worried Gen the most. They were widely known in the Alpha Quadrant for their brute-like actions and deeds, such as the Setlik III Massacre and the Occupation of Bajor.

The Federation had sent out the U.S.S. Dauntless to aid in the defense of the Starbase along with an assembled battle fleet. Gen could comprehend how the officers before her were feeling, and she felt he same way as well.

One of the greeting officers had her follow him to Almeida's office so she could report her arrival.

After short trip the crew-member left her outside the Executive Officer's door and went on back to his post. After breathing a sigh Gen rang the door signal, then clasping her hands behind her back.

"Enter," came a man's voice.

The door slid open and Gen immediately walked in. She stood up straight in front of Almeida's desk.

"Can I help you, Ensign?" he asked, not recognizing the officer before him.

"Ensign Gen Hagen reporting, sir," Gen responded immediately.

Commander Carlos Almeida was a man appearing approximately in his late-thirtys with dark hair cut short and a thin beard. He was dressed in the red and black uniform of a commanding officer with small ranking pins on the collar. Gen briefly tapped into his brain and noted incredible determination and strength, both qualities very common in those of a well-deserved commanding position. No doubt he was working at the situation of Starbase Horizon at the highest of priority.

The Commander pressed a couple buttons at his computer. "Welcome aboard, it's good to meet you, doctor," he greeted. "Your permanent assignment is on Starbase Horizon, and goodness knows they'll need your help. As I'm sure you know the station is under attack from the Cardassians and many of the crew are still compromised with the manufactured virus that caused them to lose their memories."

The half-Betazoid nodded. "I understand the severity of the situation," she answered. "I will do my best, sir."

The XO's face finally cracked a smile.

"Good," he said with a nod. "My CMO, Lieutenant Keth, has been attending a conference on Starbase Twelve and is due back at any time. Until she returns, you're in charge of sickbay. I need you to prepare for casualties, and also begin synthesizing antidote for the virus. You'll find details in the medical database - a Dr. Lenora discovered the cure, she's currently at Camp Hunter on Devu and you should be able to contact her down there if you need any further information. Unless you have any questions, you're dismissed."

"Aye, sir." Gen quickly saluted and turned from the room and back out the door.

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	3. 2410'02'10 The First Few Minutes

2410.02.10

Characters: Hagen  
Location: Sick Bay

Gen didn't even bother going to her temporary quarters to make sure all of her belongings were there and in order; she could do that later.

Instead, the half-Betazoid made her way to the Sickbay of the Dauntless. She wanted to get a look at her work station before settling. She wanted to make sure she knew where everything was and what supplies were available in case of some sort of emergency. She also wanted to get a portable medical tricorder – there may be times when she would be caught out of Sickbay and unable to access it in time.

Upon entry to the medical room one thing really stood out above all things: it looked and smelled clean. Just like a hospital on Earth.

Sighing to herself, Gen walked in and began exploring the area, taking not of where everything was and mentally measuring her ability to use it. She found the medical tricorders and immediately took one out, slinging the strap over her shoulder and positioning it by her hip to prevent it from getting in her way.

Aside from her, there were at least two nurses in Sickbay and they were working maintenance for the various instruments and tech, making sure they worked properly and would not need fixing up any time soon.

The nurses didn't say much, aside from greeting Gen upon her arrival. They occasionally asked each other for tools, but that was about the extent of their conversation.

Suddenly, the ship's intercom switched on and produced a voice, which Gen immediately assumed belonged to the Commander of the ship; it was concerning a change of course due to…

Great… a distress signal. For medical staff that usually meant prepare for injuries and casualties.

The nurses immediately gave off an emotion of slight worry which Gen picked up no problem. They began to work faster, preparing for what they thought they should expect.

_Well,_ Gen thought, _time for work._

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	4. 2410'03'05 First Away Mission

2410.03.05 **First Away Mission**

Locations: Sickbay, Transporter Room, Cardassian Shuttle  
Characters: Sovaak, Almeida, Cale, Ardin, Hagen

Gen worked to prepare Sickbay for possible injured. She instructed the available nurses to continue synthesizing the antidote for the virus that had broken out aboard Starbase Horizon. Synthesizing was easy, but treating patients was harder. The way Gen was wired, she preferred to do everything herself.

She was working and arranging supplies when the Executive Officer's voice came over the comm system:

"Almeida to Ensigns Ardin, Sovaak and Hagen. Meet me in transporter room one in five minutes, and wear environmental suits. We're beaming across to a damaged Cardassian shuttle."

"Aye, sir," Gen instantly acknowledged.

"Doctor," Almeida added, "bring your medkit, we've detected one life sign aboard and they may be injured."

_If the shuttle's damaged then "may be" would probably be an understatement,_ the half-Betazoid thought to herself.

"You got it," she responded to the Executive. "Be there right away, sir."

"Good. Almeida out."

First official day on the job and already Gen got to go on an away mission. She didn't know if she should be thrilled or frightened at the opportunity.

She grabbed the supplies she needed and informed the nurses of her leaving before actually doing so and heading toward a nearby turbolift.

Shortly, another Ensign joined her wearing a yellow-themed Starfleet uniform, indicating that he was from Engineering.

"Hello," he greeted. "You're Ensign Hagen, right?"

"Call me Gen," the half-Betazoid replied. "And you are…?"

"Ensign James Ardin. I understand that you're a doctor?"

Gen raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that is my practice."

"Maybe when we get back you can take a look at a little plasma burn I got," Ardin said. "It wasn't serious enough to take to Sickbay but I don't know my way around a dermal regenerator either."

Gen had to smile. "Sure, I'll look at it."

The two soon made it to Transporter Room One wearing their environmental suits. Executive Officer Almeida was already there, also in an environmental suit. He nodded upon their arrival and Gen realized that the third Ensign, Ensign Sovaak, was right behind them.

Almeida checked his phaser that was holstered on his hip.

"Keep phasers on stun," he ordered. "This is a Cardassian ship and we must assume that the life form is hostile until proven otherwise."

"Yes sir," Ardin replied.

Sovaak, Gen noticed, merely stayed silent. Weird… it seemed like her room-mate, who also happened to be a Vulcan, seemed to talk a lot, considering her race.

Gen checked her phaser and medical supplies before placing her helmet of her suit over her head.

"Ready?" the XO inquired of them as they all got on the transporter pad.

"This is a better time than any," Ardin said in a buoyant tone.

"I am prepared, Sir," the Vulcan finally affirmed.

Gen just nodded silently.

Almeida then inclined his head to the Transporter Chief. "Energize."

Shortly the team all materialized onto the badly damaged Cardassian shuttle. Immediately visible were three large holes in the hull, the stars of space twinkling brightly through them. What happened to this ship?

The Starfleet team were of course all wearing their environmental suits which prevented the vacuum of space from pulling their molecules apart, but Gen could only wonder… what about the survivor?

Everyone activated the flashlights mounted on their helmets and examined the surrounding area. The place was a mess, but the survivor was nowhere in sight.

"Ensign Ardin, see what you can determine about what's happened here," Almeida ordered, his voice coming through the built-in communication systems of their suits.

"I'll try to access their log files," the Engineer responded and he slowly walked to the helm, his boots making vibrations with the magnetizers hitting the metal each time he stepped.

"You two, with me," the XO told Gen and Sovaak. The three of them turned and began to head for the back end of the shuttle.

"Yes sir," Gen mumbled quietly.

"Commander," the Vulcan Ensign stated, getting Almeida's attention, ""Once we have cleared the vessel, I would like to take some scans of the vessel. If the damage was caused by weapons fire, I may be able to determine the signature."

They trod across the floor and Gen scanned around, both with the tricorder and her eyes to search for the unknown survivor.

The end of the shuttle seemed to be for storage, assorted boxes and crates stacked to the ceiling; many of them were floating freely in the zero-gravity area. One began to approach Almeida and he reached out to push it aside.

But then they all noticed at once a very uncrate-like silhouette nearing them as well.

The Doctor just about leapt right out of her environmental suit.

"Get him down here!" Gen told the two officers with her as she began to adjust her scanner for more detailed scans.

The XO and Ensign reached and grabbed the limp body, easily pulling him down for Gen's access.

"Is he still alive?" Almeida instantly asked her.

"If he is, he won't be for long," Gen replied hastily. "I need him in Sickbay NOW." She held the man with one arm swung around his shoulders to keep him from floating away while scanning him with her free hand. Faint heartbeat, low blood pressure, low oxygen levels, but he was still alive.

Then, Ardin approached them all huddled around the survivor.

"Commander," he said, "I found one partial log file in the computer. There was a lot of interference but I could determine that they took heavy damage and were separated from some kind of fleet. Their deflectors were offline and impulse engines were operational at eighty percent as they headed back to Cardassian space. They may have been impacted by small meteors for all we know."

The XO nodded at him. "Good work, Ensign…"

The man was dying, and without getting him to Sickbay, he would. This really will be a stressful day, Gen mused.

Beside the Betazoid-hybrid, Executive Officer Almeida activated his commlink to the Dauntless.

"Almeida to Robinson," he stated clearly.

It was only a partial second when a response came: "Go ahead, Commander."

"Admiral, we have one casualty," Almeida reported, "a human male who requires immediate treatment in sickbay."

"Something's keeping him alive," Gen commented, "but anymore time here and he'll certainly die."

"Acknowledged, " Admiral Robinson responded, "we're beaming you and the patient up now, Doctor."

Gen nodded, even though she knew Robinson could not see her. Soon, she saw herself and the survivor being wrapped by a blue sparkling light, and they were gone from the Cardassian shuttle.

***

Pulse returning to normal, blood-pressure stabilizing, oxygen intake looking great. Gen sighed with satisfaction; the man was going to live. She stood up, drawing back her medical scanner, and turned to insert the data into the computer for the patient's log.

"First one of the day," she grumbled to herself. She hated the idea that soon injuries from around the ship would practically be swarming in from battle with the Cardassians, not to mention the casualties from the other Federation ships of the fleet. Gen also knew very well that the probability of getting the Dauntless damaged was very high, just like any other ship.

As the part-Betazoid finished feeding data to the computer, she could hear a faint groaning sound behind her. With her mind, she could sense physical pain; of course.

She turned around and the survivor from the Cardassian Shuttle was stretched on the bed, moaning. He was going to have a headache for a while, and he may be sore for the next week or so. Poor guy.

"Welcome back to the living," Gen greeted him as she went to stand by his bed. "I'm Ensign Gen Hagen, Medical Officer. You know, we pulled you from a pretty bad spot. It's almost a miracle you're still with us."

The reaction the doctor got wasn't what she was expecting. The man didn't immediately say anything and the feeling of surprise was absent.

"Anyway," Gen continued, "upon examining you I discovered that you had actually been drugged with some sort of substance to keep you under control and manageable by whoever it was that had administered it to you. Then there's the nanites…"

This caught the man's attention. "Nanites?" he repeated. "Please say I'm not a Borg pin cushion."

Gen inwardly rolled her eyes. "If you were, you would be a half computer and stalking around in some green cube right now," she told him. "The nanites that are swimming around in you have a very different signature. As far as I can tell, their programming is for repairing damages done to an organic body. They keep working until there's nothing else to do."

The patient visibly thought over what he was told and Gen raised an eyebrow, waiting for his response.

"So someone wants me up and walking around but now that the damage is repaired they'll die and pass harmlessly out of my body."

"That's essentially the idea," the half-Betazoid confirmed. She turned and went to the medical terminal to add to her report. "By the way, I never caught your name."

Gen watched as the man moved to the edge of the bed. He appeared to be concentrating on something… recent events, she deduced after peering into his mind for half a second.

"Marine 1st Lieutenant Mason Cale," he stated after a moment, "MCO Starbase Horizon under the command of Admiral Robinson."

Gen looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "You know, I think Admiral Robinson is in command of this ship right now. Interesting. " She smiled at him and turned back to the computer. "Now I can actually put a name to these readings. Computer…"

There was a trilling sequence as the medical computer acknowledged. "Working," it stated in a monotone, electronic voice.

"Addition to latest medical readings," Gen continued. "Patient's name, 1st Lieutenant Mason Cale."

The computer beeped again as it input the new information. "Mason Cale, Marine 1st Lieutenant of Starbase Horizon under the command of Admiral Robinson. MIA for approximately seven months. Whereabouts previously unknown."

Gen was surprised. Seven months? Up until then, Lieutenant Cale had been missing for that long? She began to wonder what happened during that time.

"Officer Cale found in a battle-damaged Cardassian shuttle by U.S.S. Dauntless away team led by Executive Officer Carlos Almeida," the computer continued. "Report synopsis end."

For a moment, neither officer said anything after the computer made an end. Gen was trying to figure out what happened. Desperately curious, she tried to telepathically read Officer Cale's mind, but he was apparently just as clueless. Other things preoccupied his mind… mostly people. Gen felt a little worried.

"Lieutenant," she began, turning from the computer console, "are you alright?"

"I'll be okay Doctor, thanks to you and the away team," the Lieutenant told her. "I need to freshen up then I need to talk to someone in command." He paused and Gen noticed him looking around, noting the rushing nurses preparing for future casualties. "Looks like I came at a busy time," he commented, "and that can only mean an extra pair of hands will come in handy."

Gen sighed. "You have no idea how much help you would be. But how `bout that freshening up, huh? There's a room for that over there." She stretched her hand out, indicating to the area.

Lieutenant Cale nodded again and got up from the bed. He silently left as the doctor watched him. She was worried… she hoped he was going to be okay.

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	5. 2410'04'17 Questions of the Shuttle

2410.04.17 **Questions of the Shuttle**

Characters: Almeida, Cale, Hagen

Location: DNT sickbay

"Get someone on the replicator," Gen told one of the nurses. "That sickness is STILL on the Horizon, despite being occupied by Cardassians." She growled the last word, though it would go unnoticed by the nurse; Gen was secretly grateful of that.

"Yes, Doctor," the male nurse replied, and he scampered off while holding a medical scanner.

Once he was gone Gen folded her arms and sighed. She definitely wasn't used to ordering people around; she doubted any other Ensigns just on the job would get the opportunity. It her being in charge of Sick Bay wouldn't last too long, she knew.

_I wonder if Ardin's going to show up like he said he would_, Gen began to think absent-mindedly. _Or was he just making conversation?_

Before boarding the Cardassian shuttle with the away team a fellow Ensign, James Ardin, had told her about a plasma burn he had gotten and was wondering if she would be willing to look at it.

Gen inwardly shrugged. _Oh, well. He'll come if he wants to._

At that moment Lieutenant Cale exited the refreshener, clean-shaven, wearing fresh new clothes, and smelling considerably better from when he was brought in. The only evidence of him being through his ordeal were the dark bags under his eyes, making him look a little sick. He was going to get over that in no time though.

The doctor smiled. "Well look at you – all clean and nice-looking."

"Feeling Human again as well," the Marine said with a grin toward her… but somehow it seemed a bit forced.

Gen's smile disappeared. "Sir, are you going to be okay? You seem a little…"

"I'm okay Doctor, Thanks for your concern."

Gen closed her mouth and nodded. "Of course, sir." She knew that he had something on his mind, but she certainly wasn't going to abuse the blessing of being part-Betazoid and start prying. He would tell her or someone else if he needed to. Maybe he was waiting to talk to one of the commanding officers.

"Since I'm on my feet I guess I'd better report in," he went on. "Is there somewhere I can call from here?"

"Certainly, Lieutenant. There's a terminal over there that you can use to talk to Commander Almeida." Gen pointed in the direction.

The Marine had stopped and seemed to be considering a thought. "It might be better if you call them a long lost marine calling from their sickbay might be a bit much right now."

Gen led the Lieutenant to the computer terminal and pressed the comm button.

"Doctor Hagen in Sickbay to Commander Almeida," she said clearly.

"Go ahead, doctor," came the answer.

"The patient is awake, sir," Gen reported, "and I'm sure you're going to want to talk to him."

"Very well, I'm on my way."

Gen nodded, even though she knew the XO couldn't see her. "Very good, sir."

Gen switched off the comm on the terminal and turned to smile at the Lieutenant. He wasn't looking at her though… he was looking to the side as if thinking hard about something, and he was; Gen could sense his mind swarming as he tried to grab onto a single idea and try to piece it in a series of events, almost as if he had a giant puzzle in his brain to put together and try to make sense of.

The doctor caught herself and quickly withdrew from Cale's mind. She had told herself that she couldn't be there only a minute or two ago and here she was digging around like a Japanese bantam chicken looking for bugs or grain in the dirt.

A few minutes had passed, which seemed a little longer than it really was, and Commander Almeida had came through the sliding door into the Sickbay, holding himself up impressively with his hands behind his back. "Doctor," he addressed Gen with a smile. He turned to the Lieutenant. "Commander Carlos Almeida, XO," he introduced himself.

Gen watched Cale closely as he saluted to the Commander, a bit awkwardly. "Marine LT Mason Cale Sir."

The thought of recognition was absent from Almeida's mind, not that Gen had expected it to be there anyway. It HAD been a while since anyone had seen the Lieutenant. "It's good to see you up and about son," the Commander remarked, "you were in a bad way when we found you."

"Thank you sir. I'm grateful for everything that's been done for me."

"How is he doctor?" Almeida asked, now addressing the half-Betazoid.

"Still shaky and a bit sore," Gen reported, not taking her eyes off the Lieutenant, "but obviously he's up and I'm pretty sure he's okay to try and tell us what happened."

"Okay," The XO replied with a nod. The then too looked at the patient. "Lt. Cale, what can you tell me about how you came to be unconscious in a Cardassian shuttle?"

"Cardassian?"

There was the surprise that Gen had been expecting when the Marine first woke up. It just had a bit of lag time.

Suddenly it seemed that a beehive had been smacked open with a large stick in his brain; images and memories were suddenly swirling around, but Gen didn't bother to try and focus on any of them. She instead rushed to the Lieutenant's side and grabbed his arm, fearing he might fall.

"Lieutenant," she said. "Mason! Mason, are you alright?" Awful images began to surface and it made Gen's stomach drop into her abdomen.

The memories finally simmered down where Lt. Cale had apparent control over them and Gen breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.

"I'm okay," he told her, "just suffered a head rush is all."

Gen stood up straight and released his arm, smoothing the fabric of his sleeve where she had grabbed him. Just a head rush, huh? Not like any head rush Gen's ever seen before.

"Sir," the Marine began, now speaking to Commander Almeida, "I believe I was put on that shuttle and dropped in your path. The people who held me captive tried to get answers from me about someone that I couldn't give now I'd guess I'm bait to try and draw him out."

The Doctor and Commander both stared at him

"But why?" Gen heard herself ask.

"Because it seems someone wants me to remember."

"Lieutenant Cale, you'll have to explain," Commander Almeida said from beside the Doctor. "I'm not following."

Gen folded her arms and watched Mason, showing she was ready to listen.

The Lieutenant sat onto his patient bed, which Gen left open for him while he changed. "I won't pretend I have all the answers yet, because I don't," he admitted with a sigh. "I guess the best place to start would have to be the aftermath of the Devu Earthquake.

"As a member of the Horizon crew I was part of the relief effort, so was my first duty station the USS Eden. I ended up attempting to help some civilians out in the wastelands, off the beaten track of the main effort. That's when both me and the civilian were snipped from about two miles, according to the official finding at any rate. I survived through a combination of determination and a lot of blind luck, that and Dr McGregor being another top class doctor."

As he mentioned the Medical Officer Mason glanced at Gen, which she raised both eyebrows at.

"A marine spends his life facing death so been injured even badly isn't that odd what set this first time apart was the barbed ballistic round she had to remove from my side. The crew of the Eden at least those in the direct chain of command knew it traced back to an assassin the federations been desperate to capture for over twenty years. They call him the Reaper and with two decades of investigation they still know next to nothing."

"An assassin?" Gen asked. "That never bodes well."

"Go on, lieutenant," Almeida told Mason, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Yes I was the first one lucky enough to survive," he went on, "Federation intelligence spoke to me a lot over the coming months while I was on Earth, but they understood too well that I hadn't seen anything useful, they also knew the Reaper would have a score to settle.

"Seven months ago I was teleported from the MCO office to a ship with a mixed crew. Klingon, Romulan, Humans and at least one Cardassian that I know of. I'd bet my life that they were only together because they didn't trust the others to be honest. Lucky for me the humans where obviously in charge not that that made any of the others happy. It just meant the ones wanting to keep a federation officer from dying were holding the reigns.

"The point is they never asked about Horizon or it's capabilities, nothing about the Federation. The humans were obsessed with what happened on Devu and what I might know with out realising. The rest were interested in helping me remember but wanted to know about missions the Eden took on while I was posted there."

As incredible as the story was turning out to be, Gen hardly believed that the Lieutenant would be making this up or imagining things – the explanation was just too detailed for either of those. Sure, some people did dream up very elaborate scenarios, but the odds of Mason having done that were very low.

"You're saying you were abducted?" Almeida inquired. "By an organization that wanted information about an assassin I've never heard of?"

"Federation Black-Ops," Mason answered after nodding. "I hope to god they slipped there leash and the Federation don't know the lengths there willing to go to. One things for sure though someone took seven months of my life and turned it into hell. Seven months where my loved ones suffered because I'd vanished without a trace," the man's voice grew quiet, "the last thing I intend to do is let them stay hidden."

Mason paused in thought. Gen raised an eyebrow in question, but her eyes opened wider with realization: the Marine was thinking of his family. He was worrying about how they felt from his absence. Oh God… the thought of putting her own family, her Oto-san and Oka-san into that sort of situation was just… difficult to comprehend.

Gen immediately shooed the thought away and continued to listen to the Lieutenant's story.

"There has to be justice at the end of all this," Mason went on, "those responsible have to be made accountable for their actions. That means the Federation needs to learn what it's group is doing."

Gen and the Commander quickly exchanged glances. They returned their attention to the Marine who was now looking at his surroundings, watching the Sickbay personnel hustle about.

"Right now it looks like your crew have bigger problems then all of this Sir," Mason commented. "I'm willing to help in anyway I can."

Almeida sighed. "You are correct, Lt. Cale, we do."

Gen looked at the Commander. "Uh, sir… about the state that the Lieutenant was in when we found him," she stated, "under absolutely normal conditions he would have perished. It's unknown as to how *exactly* he survived."

"Part of it can be confirmed now," Mason said. "Dr Hagen discovered someone's been using Nanites to keep me alive."

"Before you ask, no they were not Borg nanites," Gen continued.

"As for the rest Sir. Only the Doctor and You know who I am," Mason told the Commander, "If I'm been used as bait then those responsible will need to make sure my discovery makes it to the media service. If we don't announce it then they do and we know someone's pulling strings. I can back channel my Uncle with a Federation equipment order that will let my family know I'm alive and keeping a low profile. They won't put me at risk by letting whoever I'm hiding from know I'm around."

Almeida looked at him. "Lt. Cale…"

All of a sudden the floor beneath Gen's feet shifted and the half-Betazoid about lost her balance completely, the two men near her also feeling the effects. Nobody needed to tell her what happened, the thought had already clicked in her head: the Dauntless had entered into the battle against the Cardassians.

The ship became still and the Executive Officer's badge trilled electronic chirps.

"Commander Almeida, you're needed on the bridge immediately," a woman's voice reported over the combadge.

"Understood, I'm on my way," Almeida responded quickly. He tapped the badge and then turned to Mason. "Lt. Cale, I'm sorry we'll have to continue this later. I was hoping you'd be able to give us some information about the Cardassian Shuttle we found you on," the Commander continued. "It seems more than merely a coincidence as we are now engaged in battle with them. If you remember anything else be sure to let me know."

"Absolutely, sir," Gen replied.

The XO nodded at them and then hurried out of Sickbay.

Gen turned to the Lieutenant. "Well, I guess it's time to put you to work."

Ensign Gen Hagen

Medical Officer

USS Dauntless


	6. 2410'04'19 There He Is

2310.04.19 **There He Is**

Locations: Sickbay, Engineering  
Characters: Ensign Gen Hagen, Ensign James Ardin

Gen worked at the terminal and closed the Doctor's Log when her attention was suddenly caught by her Starfleet badge trilling.

"Ensign Lowry to Sickbay, medical emergency in Engineering!"

The Doctor wasted no time. "I'm on my way, Ensign, just hang tight." She closed the link and hurried out the sliding door from Sickbay. God knew what had occurred.

=One or two minutes later….=

Gen almost burst into Engineering and quickly located the injured officer. As she approached the man, who had another Ensign kneeling near him, she immediately recognized him.

"I told you I'd come in," Ensign James Ardin chuckled, immediately wincing in pain with a hiss.

Gen grumbled a curse in Japanese; geez, how could this happen? She dropped to her knees beside her acquaintance – in her opinion they didn't know each other well enough to be friends just yet.

"Good God, Jim," the half-Betazoid began, using the man's first name in an effort to try and relax him, "what happened?"

"Oh, this?" he asked with a grin. "Just a scratch. See, I think the plasma manifold running behind the replicator got a tad bit too close to its power converter. This caused a little overload which triggered a teeny little explosion."

As James explained Gen scanned the injuries. First and Second degree Plasma burns, most of the latter, across his chest and arm with the uniform shredded to clearly indicate the impact points of the explosion. She was surprised that James could speculate about what might've gone wrong, despite his injuries.

But she couldn't fix them right in Engineering; he had to go to Sickbay for proper procedure.

"Looks like you're coming with me pal," she announced.

"Well I could have done that," James replied with a smile.

"Cute," Gen said with a small involuntary grin. "Very cute."

She touched her combadge and requested the Transporter Room to beam two to Sickbay.

Helping the Engineer was no huge chore. She put James under so that she could operate on him effectively and soon enough she was completed with the process.

When he woke up, the Doctor told him exactly what she had done to help him.

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	7. 2410'04'22 Heaven knows we need help

2410.04.22 **Heaven knows we need help**

Location: Sickbay  
Characters: Ensign Gen Hagen, Lt. Cmdr. Lenora Mara, Kaden

It practically took no time at all, but it seemed like an eternity before Ensign Ardin was awake and fully treated. To Gen's relief, even though she *knew* the treatment would work, James felt no ill effects and was able to leave Sickbay with a clean bill of health and allowance to return to work in Engineering.

The doctor was just finishing preparing the bed James had been in for the next patient when she noticed two people, a beautiful woman and her young child who held onto her hand, came in through the sliding doors of Sickbay.

Gen stood, adjusted her tricorder strap, and began to walk toward them.

The woman noticed her coming and smiled. "Excuse me," she asked, "I'm looking for Dr. Hagen."

Gen stopped in front of her and clasped her hands behind her back. "That would be me," she said, returning the smile. "Welcome to Sickbay. Who would you be?"

"Dr. Lenora Mara," the woman responded, "and this is my son, Kaden. It's good to meet you," she added holding out her hand, which Gen took in a handshake.

"Hi!" the little boy chimed enthusiastically.

Gen's grin grew. "Oh, Kaden, you're adorable!" she said, patting his head. "It's nice to meet you." She then turned back to the boy's mother, dropping her hand back to her side. "So, is there anything I can help you two with?"

"We're from Horizon," the Doctor explained. "I run the Federation Health Clinic on the promenade. It's a free clinic for civilians and those who couldn't otherwise afford healthcare." Mara grew quiet, obviously in thought. Gen could sense worry and hope; hope about something…on the Horizon? The clinic, maybe? "Anyway," the woman continued, "it seems we'll be here for a while and I wondered if I could help out?"

The half-Betazoid Doctor nodded with a friendly smile. "Certainly – heaven knows we need it. Especially now."

She proceeded to lead the two visitors through the Sickbay, showing Dr. Lenora around before letting her determine where she would be needed best at the time.

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	8. 2410'04'25 Klingons are more durable

2410.04.25 **Klingons are more durable than most humanoids**

Location: Sickbay  
Characters: Admiral Marney Robinson, Ensign Doctor Gen Hagen, Ensign Iilana Rankhorst

**Japanese help:**  
Bake - stupid

Gen's combadge suddenly chirped and a voice said, "Admiral Robinson to Sickbay."

Setting the instrument that she was currently holding in one hand Gen tapped her badge and responded: "Dr. Hagen here, sir. What do you need?"

"What is the condition of Lt. Rokar?" Straight to the point, wasn't he? But Gen understood; they had just been in a battle.

"I've just finished my report only a half an hour ago," the Doctor informed the Admiral as she began to make her way to a nearby terminal. She quickly searched the patient list and found what she was looking for: Chief Engineer Lieutenant Rokar. "I'll scrunch it up for you and read it off. Second and third degree burns across his torso, arms, and on his hands and slight head trauma. I've already done what I can do for those. However, it appears that the Lieutenant is in a trauma-induced coma. It's still unclear as to *when* he may come out of it."

For a moment there was silence on the other end of the commlink. "Is he going to live, Doctor?" the Admiral asked with barely detectible concern.

Gen sighed. "With all due respect, sir, Klingons are known to be very durable. To say the least, you have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you," the Admiral said. "Keep me updated, Doctor. You're doing an outstanding job. I know it has to be rough with the amount of casualties."

Gen closed up the report. "Thank you sir," she responded.

"Robinson out." 

With a sigh Gen closed the commlink. A young woman had come to stand near Gen, obviously waiting for her to finish her conversation. The Doctor turned and looked at the officer expectantly.

"Ensign Rankhorst reporting for medical," the human woman stated. Gen watched as she looked around the Sickbay – undoubtedly at the wounded that were about. "If this isn't a good time I can returned tomorrow."

The half-Betazoid sighed. "That may be a good idea," she said, "we're pretty booked right now." She turned and began to head toward a certain biobed – one that held the Klingon Lieutenant Rokar.

"Er… Mam is that the Chief Engineer?" Ensign Rankhorst asked slowly.

"Chief Engineer Lieutenant Rokar," Gen read from the patient's chart, which she had picked up. "Yes, this would be him." She knew she sounded insensitive. One must be to work in the medical environment.

Rankhorst just seemed to stare. "Only I was supposed to report to him," she said softly, "I'm guessing someone else is in charge down there." She once again looked at her surroundings and Gen could sense uneasiness. "How many?" she asked quietly.

Gen shook her head. "*Too* many," she grumbled. _Baka Cardassians_, her mind added. "Now, thinks are very busy here. I'm not trying to be rude, but the Sickbay's going to need as much room as it can get."

"No Problem" the Ensign said with a smile. "I will come back after reporting to engineering."

She gave Gen a salute and turned, leaving Sickbay.

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	9. 2410'05'01 Saitei Otoko

2410.05.01 **Saitei Otoko**

**Japanese help-**  
Saitei Otoko – (lit.) Rotten man  
Warugaki – Brat  
Ojii-san – Grandfather  
Ryoushin - Parents

Location: Dauntless Sickbay  
Characters: Ensign Gen Hagen, Lieutenant Commander Sade Drake

"Dr. Hagen."

"What is it?" Gen asked the nurse, Ensign Keller, who was addressing her.

The man did not reply and simply gestured in a direction toward a corner of Sickbay where one of the coma-induced patients resided. The man was fidgeting slightly in the biobed; Gen raised an eyebrow as she began to sense activity coming from as if someone was having a bad dream or something of that sort.

"Uh, nurse," Gen began, "why don't you see what you can do over there? I'll handle this one." She pointed in a direction for Keller to follow.

"Yes, Doctor," the man said with a nod and he trotted off.

As he did this the half-Betazoid went the opposite way toward the patient. When she reached his bedside she immediately took up his medical chart and began to examine it. The name on it read: "Lieutenant Commander Sade Drake". She hadn't ever heard of anyone ever being named `Sade' before. `Drake' was an interesting surname… it meant `dragon' when one referred to the Latin root. Gen didn't know Latin – she was still getting the hang of English – but it was a random fact that had been ingrained into her brain.

Suddenly, the man in the biobed sat up with a sharp gasp, catching Gen slightly off-guard. She took a step back as his pupils dilated and he instantly re-closed his eyes, apparently having not anticipated the light intensity. He began to reach around for something that wasn't there while clutching at his left thigh.

After a moment of this he looked around and then relaxed, falling back onto the bed while slightly panting. He then mumbled something that Gen didn't understand the meaning to:

"God, I was a total dumb ass when I was younger."

"I don't know what being a stupid donkey has to do with anything, Lieutenant," the Ensign stated looking at him. "In case you don't already know, you're in the Sickbay of the USS Dauntless. I'm Ensign Gen Hagen, Medical Officer."

"How long was I out for, Ensign?" Lt. Drake immediately asked.

"Approximately six days, thirteen hours, and seven minutes," Gen read from the chart she held.

The man sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, rubbing his head. Gen cast a glance at him and a chill went up her spine. Scars and permanent markings scattered the Lieutenant's skin, showing a small glimpse into his past. It certainly didn't look pretty.

Gen instantly looked back at the medical chart, not wanting to get caught staring.

"Anyway, Lieutenant," the Doctor started, turning more fully to the patient as she picked up a PADD, "considering the condition you were in I'm going to need to check your vitals and ask some simple questions, alright? First: I want you to give me some basic identity information about yourself."

Drake was immediately annoyed, which Gen could sense without even trying. She wondered if this man was going to be difficult.

He sighed and began his response: "My name is Lieutenant Commander Sade Aziel Drake. I was born on February 24th, 2376 and my serial number is 196-64-8143. "

All correct answers Gen mused as she checked the info on the PADD. There was no hesitation or strain to remember anything, so that was a good sign. "Good," she told him. "Now, can you tell me your standing in Starfleet?"

Drake seemed to ponder this one, which made Gen look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Well currently I'm an unassigned officer though I *was* a fighter pilot. Wing Commander, 15th Wolfpack, USS Discovery to be precise." When the last word left his mouth Gen had only *just then* caught herself staring at a particularly disturbing scar, and she saw the Lieutenant had seemed to notice this.

"Yes, good," she told him, referring to his answer. She looked at him. "Please forgive me for inquiring, but those – eh – epidermal damages…"

"I was never good at the whole `landing' part," the man immediately answered. Starfleet humor: that wasn't unexpected, but the way that he said it was. There was no external sign of indication of a joke.

Gen sighed. "Alright then." She turned back to the PADD. "Now, uh, would you please relay to me the events of what you remember from your previous mission? I need to make sure I didn't miss anything." As she said this she grabbed her tricorder from her hip and began to scan Drake's vitals.

Drake made a sound that sounded like a growl, which caused Gen to momentarily freeze, when he was only breathing deeply. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of my most recent assignment," he told her, "however I can assure you I am of sound mind and can recall the events of the past few months perfectly, are there any more questions, Doctor?"

Gen drew the tricorder back and looked at him seriously. "There aren't, for now," she replied, "but hang on for a minute, alright? I'm not going to let you go just yet." She looked at the tricorder screen and waited shortly for the results of the scans to appear.

The half-Betazoid' s eyes widened. What human in the universe had these sort of readings. The testosterone levels and adrenalin strain were extremely high. By this information it would only be one or two years before this man expired.

_Ah? What's this?_

Evidence of performance- enhancing chemicals and elements were abundant in his systems; ILLEGAL chemicals and elements.

"Lieutenant, what have you been doing to yourself?" she demanded. "These readings indicate that you're –"

The Lieutenant stopped her by giving her a "be quiet" sign. He grabbed one of the spare PADDs that was within proximity and began typing in a short sequence. He then offered it to Gen. "I've been instructed to give this to you."

Gen tightened her jaw in annoyance from being interrupted and reluctantly took the PADD. She started to read its contents: all of the Lieutenant's medical records were apparently classified, meaning Gen would only have access to what was deemed necessary at the moment. She couldn't speak about it to anyone else other than Drake himself, a man named Doctor Winston Collins, and Admiral Robinson. Fail to comply, get punished severely by Starfleet Command.

Gen sighed upon finishing that first part. "Very well," she said. "I can't possibly argue with this thing, I suppose." She could tell that the Lieutenant was examining her… and he had evidently realized her Betazoid heritage. Good for him.

Drake then looked at her. "Well, this has certainly been fun but I've got to report to my CO. If your tricorder picked up anything that wasn't in the last medical checkup, notify Doctor Collins. His subspace channel should be in the letter, I`ll let him know you`ve been informed so you should be getting my last reading in a day or two. And if you have any questions on how to file this in the meantime, Admiral Robinson will gladly advise. Any questions? No? Cool, good talk…." He instantly got to his feet and went to a locker that Gen had somehow missed noticing earlier. Apparently it was full of his stuff as he took out each item with care and recognition.

The half-Betazoid just nodded in response to him and continued to read the letter on the PADD.

Sending a sideways glance at Drake out of caution she immediately noticed tattooed words scrawled down the left side of his back. It was a list of fairly recent events; major events where a lot of people were hurt or killed.

"Hey, any chance you've seen my smokes lying around here?" Drake had suddenly asked without turning around. "Nevermind, I found `em."

Gen scoffed. "I'm not going to tell you what to do like I'm your mother, but those things are really bad for you. Ojii-san, my grandfather, died from lung cancer because he wouldn't leave cigarettes alone."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Drake said, ignoring her comment, "skip to the last paragraph."

The half-Betazoid rolled her eyes and did as she was told, reasoning she could read the rest later anyway. 

-Be advised- the final paragraph read, -Given the unique nature of Commander Drake's physiology little to nothing can be done to alleviate the cellular degradation or level the chemical imbalances. As soon as he is able to speak coherent sentences and walk ten paces unassisted, he is to be considered cleared for duty and discharged from medical at the earliest possible convenience.

-Signed,  
Doctor Winston Collins  
Rear Admiral Marney Robinson-

After reading Gen looked up to see the Lieutenant in a dark faded T-shirt with some old rock music band's name on it, a tactical vest, and she could see he had put something in the pocket of the patient-issued pants he was wearing.

"Wait a minute, where do you think you're going?" Gen asked. "You can't leave just yet."

"Do I have lung cancer again?" Drake asked in an uncaring tone.

"No, but —"

"Do I need another liver transplant?" He pulled an assault rifle and a pair of ratty stained jeans from the locker.

"That's not it," Gen said quickly, "but –"

"Then there's not a whole lot of reason for me to stick around, Ensign," Drake told her.

She watched him pull out one last thing – a black katana sword in a sheath with a wooden scabbard. It vaguely reminded her of the black and silver one decorated with carved Eastern dragons that was mounted in her ryoushin's dining room at home all the way back in Japan on Earth. But Drake's katana was obviously not meant to be displayed as a family heirloom.

He began to leave, but then he spun around to glance at her one last time. "Oh, when I was rushed in here there was a Romulan dagger in my back," he told her. "I'm pretty sure it's still in the Operating Room which I can't get back into unless I have another one sticking out of me. So when you get the chance, if you could send someone to run it to my quarters that would be awesome. I'm really gonna need it later." He then turned and continued to go for the door out of Sickbay.

Gen glared at him. "Warugaki," she muttered. What was this guy thinking? She instantly decided that she wanted to try and find out.

The half-Betazoid mentally reached out and grabbed what was apparently the remnants of an old telepathic bond that had been formed, but then broken. Interesting… this makes things easier. It also told her that he once had a bond with a telepath. Not many humans could achieve such a thing, though it was becoming increasingly common.

Realization had come to the Lieutenant and Gen mentally swore. She watched as the man turned and glared at her; she had been caught. Gen immediately tried to pull out, but found that she was having trouble. Oh, no…

Gen saw some sort of town or village completely devastated and she felt an anger that was not her own well up inside her. Children having been slaughtered hung about, giving the real Gen a disgusted feeling.

The scene changed to multiple having been violated and then killed. The smell that reached her nostrils was horrid.

Other women stood, holding severed heads of young-looking men as they cried and wailed. Gen wanted to puke right there, it was so terrifying.

_Stop it,_ she silently begged.

But it only seemed to grow worse. She watched Drake in his perspective as he hatefully destroyed a man who had surrendered.

That was suddenly shoved aside by the memory of a woman. "I want a divorce!" she shouted, crying as if that statement tore her apart, triggering anger toward the universe from Gen/Drake.

Gen watched helplessly as a man deemed as `best friend' walked off. There was a loud click and a fiery explosion engulfed his body, sweeping terror through the witness with the shockwave.

_Stop…_

A woman was seen, burning and screaming. Something felt torn from Gen and it hurt.

The barrage continued, each memory seeming more horrid than the last. The Lieutenant had stepped toward her and was now within two feet of her, staring at her with frightening determination.

_STOP IT!_

Almost like a light switch, all was suddenly silent in Gen's mind. She realized it wasn't exactly Drake that had severed the connection – she had finally broken away and, out of instinctual fear, she put up a barrier… one that was going to take a while to take down.

Drake lowered himself so that he looked into the half-Betazoid' s eyes, seemingly piercing straight through her. Gen had to use all her will power to keep from physically shaking.

=If you're smart,= Drake growled in virtually un-accented Japanese, =you'll never try that again…=

Gen gathered as much composure as she could and scowled.

"Saitei Otoko," she snarled quietly. "Get out of this Sickbay… NOW."

The man stared at her for another moment before slightly inclining his head, showing he was satisfied. He stood up to his full height and turned from the Doctor, finally leaving.

When he was gone Gen felt about ready to collapse. She shakily made her way to the biobed that Lieutenant Drake had occupied only moments before and slumped down with a heavy sigh. That had been one of the worst mental attacks she had experienced and she had no idea if she could recover from it. On top of that her `panic barrier' was up and she didn't know how long it would take to remove it. She felt blind.  
Once the shift was over Gen was going to contact her ryoushin for help.

Then, when she was ready, she would tell Admiral Robinson what happened.

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless


	10. 2410'05'22 Otosan and Okasan

2410.05.22 **Oto-san and Oka-san**

Japanese Help:  
Oto-san - Father  
Oka-san - Mother  
Onigiri - Rice Ball- a popular Japanese food  
Moshi-moshi - Hello greeting on a phone (or a video link)  
Konichiwa gozaimasu - proper greeting- 'Konichiwa' is a shortened version  
-chan - nickname add-on for close friends who are girls  
=blah blah blah= - speaking Japanese.

Aanor Hagen can't quite speak English; Japanese is the only Teran language that he actually got the hang of. Kirimi Hagen can't speak English either.

Location: Briefly Sickbay, Gen's shared quarters  
Characters: Gen Hagen, Mr. and Mrs. Hagen

Finally, it was break time for Gen. It couldn't come too soon. The past few days the half-Betazoid was hard at work with treating the large number of patients that had flowed into Sickbay during and after the battle for the Space Station Horizon.

Gen informed a nearby nurse of her leaving and went quickly to her designated quarters. Most people would have gone to the gym or the lounge, but the Doctor only wanted to avoid people for the moment. After Lieutenant Drake's assault on her mind, which she had to admit was in part her fault for snooping where she wasn't wanted, she didn't believe she could stand to be in the presence of others at the time.

She entered into her quarters, which she shared with a roommate. Luckily her shift would still be in effect during Gen's break and they would not see each other for a while... that's what Gen wanted.

With a huge sigh the half-Betazoid fell face-first onto her bed without even removing her boots or her tricorder upon entry. It was a huge thing in Japan to remove footwear when entering a room or residence, but Gen just felt too spent to even do that simple thing; that was also true for the medical tricorder.

She groaned and grabbed her pillow, hugging it close while curling up into a ball. To break the link to Sade Drake's mind she which had caused her so much distress Gen's own brain had put up what she and her family called a Panic Barrier. Whenever she felt under too much stress the Barrier went up and it was very difficult to take down. Without the subtle readings that naturally radiated from all around her Gen felt, to a certain extent, blind.

But did she really want to remove the Barrier this time? After an attack like that it made someone want to leave it up and never put themselves in that sort of position again. She was afraid of getting hurt instead of just traumatized. She was scared.

A grumbling sound came from Gen's stomach, which startled her. She hadn't eaten for a while and she knew she would need it to continue working efficiently in Sickbay. She couldn't afford to make mistakes based on distractions like fatigue or hunger... or mental unease.

With a sigh the half-Betazoid pushed herself up and went toward the replicator.

"Computer," she said clearly, "Onigiri with salted seaweed wrapping and crab meat filling with dipping sauce."

There was an acknowledging sequence of beeps and in a yellowish shimmer a rectangular plate with two riceballs that had been molded into triangular shapes appeared in the slot; as per to her request, the riceballs were wrapped in deep green dried seaweed and there was a small disk at the edge of the plate that was filled with a dark brown, almost black liquid.

"Thanks," she mumbled, taking the plate. It may have only been a computer, but Gen just couldn't go without saying "thank you". It felt a little weird, but she knew that it would somehow feel weirder to her not saying it.

She went to her table and sat down with her plate before her. In front of her there was a screen for writing reports, reading electronic letters, and video conversations.

Biting her bottom lip nervously the hybrid quickly tapped the screen and called her home. Time on the Dauntless was different from Japan on Earth, but if she was right it should only be breakfast time there.

The screen blipped on to show her father's face. Aanor Hagen had the appearance of a bright blonde European - particularly French, which a lot of people seemed to associate him with. The only thing was that he was pure Betazoid; that was clearly evident in his eyes for the irises were dark, almost a black color.

When Mr. Hagen saw who had called his face immediately beamed in excitement.

"Ah, moshi-moshi Gen-chan!" he greeted cheerfully.

Gen was helpless against a smile that grew on her own face. "Konichiwa gozaimasu, oto-san," she returned.

Aanor grinned and turned to look off-screen. =Kirimi! Kirimi-chan!= he called. = Our daughter is on videolink!=

In an instant Kirimi Hagen - or Hagen Kirimi as surenames often went first in Japan - was standing beside her husband, a whole foot and a half shorter than the tall Betazoid with her dark hair pulled up in a bun.

"Moshi-moshi, Gen-chan," the mother smiled warmly. she didn't act as excited as Aanor, but Gen knew she was equally happy.

"Konichiwa, oka-san," Gen told her. She frowned when she noticed what her parents were wearing: Pajamas. Crap, she miscalculated the time difference. =Did I wake you?= she asked, feeling guilt.

Her mother giggled, hugging Aanor's waist. =That's quite alright, sweetie. It's never too early in the morning to talk to *you*!=

The hybrid sighed. That made her feel a little relieved, but it still didn't change any facts.

=Gen...=

She looked at her father. Betazoid telepathy didn't work over video links, but the man had the uncanny ability to read her all the same.

=Honey, is something wrong?=

Kirimi glanced at her husband and then back at Gen, worry evident in her eyes.

Gen pressed her lips together and nodded. =Yeah...= she replied quietly. =Oto-san, something happened and I'm going to need your help.=

Aanor sighed, but then smiled at her. =Alright, sweetie,= he said. =Just tell me all about it.=

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
U.S.S. Dauntless  
Feeling helpless


	11. 2410'07'06 Surgery's Not so Bad

2410.07.06 **Surgery's not so bad**

* * *

Location: Dauntless Corridor, Sickbay  
Characters: Richards, Cale, Hagen, Dells

* * *

Gen looked up from her datapad toward a small group of three officers, two men and a woman that had entered into Sickbay and were looking around.

_They might be looking for Dr. McGregor,_ the Betazoid Hybrid thought, _but I think she's still busy working with Chief Jehan. Better greet them._

"Welcome to Sickbay," she stated as she approached the officers. "I am Doctor Gen Hagen. How may I be of assistance?"

The woman responded:

"Hi, Major Tamzin Richards my officers Lt. Dells and Lt. Cale."

Gen already knew Mason Cale, she just didn't know the Major and Lt. Dells. Dells was well-built it seemed, but if Gen's grandmother saw him she would be making him eat Gyoza and Onigiri until he burst. Poor guy. Good thing Obaba-san was on Earth so the rest of the galaxy was safe.

"Doctor it's good to see you again," Mason said offered a warm smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Gen told them. "What can I do for you?"

"We're going to need some cosmetic surgery," Major Richards said briefly. "We'll need to become Bajoran, as soon as you can."

"Major, while we're getting a makeover," Lt. Dells suddenly said, "I think it would be best if we came up with different personalities than our own. Sure we might look Bajoran after this but the way we move and speak and act will be Federation Humans. I just don't want to get busted as soon as we get on the station."

Gen nearly started to laugh... she thought Dells was cute even if he wasn't trying to be.

"Well at least I get to stay fully dressed this time" Mason suddenly said, winking. Gen had to smile.

"No need to go to too much trouble," Major Richards told Dells. "The computer can randomly generate alternate records and personalities for us within split seconds. But if you want to add a little flare to yourself Lieutenant, be my guest."

"Will do, Sir." Dells replied. "Let's just hope my acting will be good enough."

"We should get on Doctor," Major Richards said, looking at Gen.

Gen watched as she quickly went to a nearby biobed and glanced at the Doctor.

"Here do?" she asked.

Gen nodded. "Yes, that will do fine. Boys, can you two wait just over there?"

Each man nodded and took a seat on a nearby biobed and sat, waiting patiently.

Gen took this time to make a short observation on everyone's state of mind in the Sickbay - most people didn't like Sickbay and she wanted to try and diminish any discomfort that was there. Both the Major and Lieutenant Dells were nervous, Gen supposed from past experiences. She could understand that.

Not surprisingly Mason was calm. He had told Gen that his mother was a doctor, so he was obviously used to Sickbay's atmosphere and could handle it better than most non-doctors.

"Give me a moment, Major," Gen told Richards and she went to a nearby terminal. To do the plastic surgery correctly she needed to observe the fine details of the facial features of a Bajoran.

It wasn't long until she had downloaded some information on a datapad and grabbing a tool she returned to stand in front of Major Richards.

"Ready when you are," the Major said after a moment.

"Alright, just hold still, Major," Gen told her.

Richards sat perfectly still as Gen drew the surgical instrument over her nose. Gen watched the tiny little ridges commonly found on a typical Bajoran began to make themselves evident on the Major's face. The 'patient's' mind was showing that her anxiety levels went up a bit upon the start of the procedure.

"Just hold on Major... just a little more... there!" Gen shut off the instrument and stepped back to let the Major examine the Bajoran ridges now there on her face.

"What do you think?" she asked after a moment.

"Wonderfull, Major." Dells teased. "I didn't even recognize you..."

"I think I'm in love," Mason joked, looking impressed. "I've always wondered what a blonde Bajoran would look like."

The Major laughed. "Thanks!" She stood up and turned to Gen. "Thanks Doc." She then glanced at Dells and Mason. "I'm going to go get my hair sorted and speak with Jaurel; we'll meet with Sahris in an hour," she told them.

"Story of my life all the pretty ones are doing there hair," Mason stated in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Hey, I only spend a couple hours on my hair, Lieutenant," Gen smirked, adding onto his joke.

Dells began to laugh, but soon stopped. He looked at Mason. "Well, Lieutenant, should we rock-paper-scissor to see who goes next?"

"It's all yours," Mason told him. "I need to update my XO anyhow. I'll just be out side Doc should be back before I'm needed."

He and the Major left after nodding to Gen and then both were gone.

"Allright, Doc," Dells began, "looks like I'm next. This doesn't hurt, right?"

"It won't hurt," Gen told him. "But I will tell you all about _pressure_." She smiled to let the Lieutenant know it was a joke. "Just hold still, alright? This won't take a minute."

Dells sat without moving through the whole procedure, which was what Gen needed to work. Despite being nervous, he was a really good 'patient'.

It was then that Mason had evidently chosen to return. "So how was your surgery?" he asked Dells. "Was it as bad as you thought it would be?" He glanced at Gen, apparently to say it wasn't a statement about her performance in the procedure. Gen could sense that he also detected Dells' uneasiness about Sickbay.

"I think it went well," Gen said. "The Lieutenant didn't move and was really good."

"No, actually it wasn't that bad," Dells said. "Just really tingled." He then looked at Mason. "Go ahead and let it out, Cale," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Seriously I just hope I look half as good as A Bajoran as you do," Lieutenant Cale said. "I still prefer the blonde though."

Gen was sensing some sort of unease in him and he was physically 'blushing'. She immediately felt sorry, and maybe a little guilty - the unease had something to do with her it seemed.

"Well... looks like it's your turn, Mason," Gen stated suddenly, trying to dispell the tension around them. "Let's get started; I'm sure you'll look great as a Bajoran."

The three of them all began to laugh.

* * *

Ensign Gen Hagen  
Medical Officer  
USS Dauntless

* * *

.

* * *

**A/N:**

I can't exactly remember where everyone was going off the top of my head...

It was a mission obviously... XD

Again, I don't edit the dialogue written by the other players for these - only my own.

A lame title for this chapter, in my opinion. I was thinking of something like "Happiness is not a Warm Scalpel" or something, but I don't even like _Repo: the Genetic Opera_. Tried to watch it... first few minutes I hated it. Never finished.**  
**

This was written with other players in _Star Trek: Borderlands_, a Play-By-e-Mail (PBeM) Role Playing Game (RPG).

This chapter can be found on my DeviantART at _vampiricyoshi. deviantart (.com)/art/ST-Sakura-Hoshi-11-216184956 (remove spaces and paretheses around ".com")  
_

**_Star Trek_ (c) Gene Roddenberry  
Gen, T'Espera, _some_ of the story (c) me - don't steal them, okay?**


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